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Write a letter to Apple about the mini iPod

P

pockyrevolution

macrumors member
Original poster
Jan 6, 2004
55
0
-Write a letter to Apple about the mini iPod-

A few thousand messages from MacRumors users should help Apple realize the $250 vs $299 deal.

:D

Send a message to Apple

Oh yea, try to use "contstructive criticism".
 
You'd rather Apple raise the price of the 15 gig iPod so that is looks more fair? So many people complain the 15 gig iPod is only $50 more and how the new pricing is unfair, but if anything, that should be a good thing that someone could get the full iPod for a small difference more. I see it more of a different kind of iPod than just the usual HD difference.
 
If I was to write a letter to Apple about the iPod mini it would have to be positive. Don't think that is what you're looking for. If we look back in six months and the iPod mini is being out sold by the $249 4gb Rio then I will take back my estimate, but not before.
 
Apple royally screwed up with this announcement. The mini is just TOO much money. What market were they trying to capture here. I know it wasn't the under $200 market. Which is the market they shouldn't focused on. Under $200 is a HUGE market. $250 just ain't cutting it. They need a reality check. Most people in this country aren't doing as financially well as Mr.Jobs. Not to get off topic BUT that's why a large number of people opt for PC's oppose to Mac's. NOT because they don't like Mac's a prefer PC's but rather they just can't afford it and there's nothing wrong with that.

~e
 
I think the price is too high, but I'll pass on the letter writing. They read MacRumors. They know. They're also taking comfort in the presence of so many vocal apologists, so even if they did bother to read all the letters, they probably won't care. I don't see the price ever going down. I guess if the disparity bothers you, get a 15 gigger. They look sexier, anyway. :)
 
I actually wouldn't mind having half the size of the iPod mini's hard drive for half the price, or just a more reasonable one.

It's just that that kinda blows Apple's thing about taking your entire music library (for most people) with you.

How many songs do you think a very cheap iPod mini with a smaller hard drive should hold? Please post your iTunes library size/song count.
 
I have around 250 songs taking just under a gig in my iTunes library. If I expand, I may be able to double that, but I don't see myself needing more than the 4 gigs that the iPod mini offers. If there were a 2 gig iPod like the rumors seemed to speculate for a $149-199 or slightly under price range, I'd have pre-ordered it the moment the keynote was over.
 
Originally posted by Powerbook G5
I have around 250 songs taking just under a gig in my iTunes library. If I expand, I may be able to double that, but I don't see myself needing more than the 4 gigs that the iPod mini offers. If there were a 2 gig iPod like the rumors seemed to speculate for a $149-199 or slightly under price range, I'd have pre-ordered it the moment the keynote was over.
Click to expand...

I totally agree with you. 1-2gig iPod would have been golden.

~e
 
I have 3+ gigs of music, and an original 5 gig ipod. I was considering getting a mini ipod before the announcement - if they were very small, ~2gigs or more, and ~$150. Now I'll just stick with my old pal I guess...
 
Oh well, I can't blame everyone for whinging about the price. But Apple's not in the business of giving miniPods away.

And there's not a huge need for Apple to compete on price with the low-end market. As Steve showed with his presentation, the $249 price is justified and still returns a healthy profit.

Because Apple is currently in the #1 spot for players, there's little justification to undercut it's own successful iPod line with $100 or $150 miniPods. Remember that the regular iPods are red-hot at the moment. Introducing a product that is drastically cheaper will steal the spotlight.

If you don't want to spend $249, then get a Rio. Get an eJam. Not that you'll be satisfied with it, but you'll be saving some cash.
 
Value is key

I would have bought a 2Gb $100.00 mini-iPod, but I see what Apple is trying to do. Right now many of the sub 512mb cost at least 150.00. So how could Apple produce a system that is 8x the size, smaller than most for less? I suddenly realized that the market may really support this new mini-iPod.
Now the Wallmart shopper who is looking for the cheapest Mp3 player possible is not going to buy even a $100.00 iPod if there is a $80.00 Rio, but Apple isn't trying to sell to that shopper because Apple will never be able to. This person will make the conscious decision to buy the cheapest item possible with a total disregard towards quality. But quality is important and is part of the value equation. Apple's new mini-iPod is expensive, but not out of the market and not a failure of the imagination, rather it is an acknowledgement that they can't secure and don't really want to secure every possible market, but rather want to secure the much larger middle-and-higher-end markets. Also, I think you will see a cheaper version of the mini-iPod as the new drive prices drop, same thing happened with the 5GB iPod.
As for the others, only the Rio Karma is remotely usable, and even it could be better, the Samsung Napster, the Dell DJ, and many of the small flash players are still hard to use, don't use AAC or do use WMP which blows. So iPod still the best, mini-iPod cool, but could be cheaper. But writing a letter to complain, tell you what get a savings account. By the time you have enough, there will be a $200.00 version or a 10GB.
What's the real lesson:

Never be a first adopter. The bleeding edge is just that.
 
Originally posted by eclipse525
Apple royally screwed up with this announcement. The mini is just TOO much money. What market were they trying to capture here. I know it wasn't the under $200 market. Which is the market they shouldn't focused on. Under $200 is a HUGE market. $250 just ain't cutting it. They need a reality check. Most people in this country aren't doing as financially well as Mr.Jobs. Not to get off topic BUT that's why a large number of people opt for PC's oppose to Mac's. NOT because they don't like Mac's a prefer PC's but rather they just can't afford it and there's nothing wrong with that.

~e
Click to expand...

The mini iPod market is targeted at a totally different market- I have a 'big' iPod, and it is kinda big to carry around everywhere, or excercise with- the mini looks more rugged than its bigger brother. I know a lot of people who complain the iPod is to fragile to do lots of things with.

-aj
 
Originally posted by Powerbook G5
You'd rather Apple raise the price of the 15 gig iPod so that is looks more fair? So many people complain the 15 gig iPod is only $50 more and how the new pricing is unfair, but if anything, that should be a good thing that someone could get the full iPod for a small difference more. I see it more of a different kind of iPod than just the usual HD difference.
Click to expand...

Thats not what people are saying. They are saying that this is silly in price/value competition. And that there is no reason to buy mini.
 
Why not? If you don't need 15 gigs, why pay more for what you don't need? And if you like the mini, then it looks like it's a pretty good product to me. I think the silver case looks sharp, it is smaller, it is cheaper, and it has more than enough space for me, so it looks like there is a market for it.
 
Originally posted by Rezet
Thats not what people are saying. They are saying that this is silly in price/value competition. And that there is no reason to buy mini.
Click to expand...

That's true but by raising the price of the 15GB and all the other iPods the value of the 4GB iPod would go up. I agree with this evaluation.

Does anyone really think that these brand new small drives that just came out a few months back are actually the same price per MB as the regular iPod drives? I think not.

I agree they are a bit expensive. I think the price would be just as high but easier to swallow if they were GB flash card based iPods that were half the size of these so called Mini-iPods. Then they would have a selling point they would be much more durable.

On the other hand all in all the Mini-iPod is the same price as other similar small hard drive based players on the market so relatively it is not over priced. It is just in comparison with the old breed of hard drive players with the cheaper drives in the ala the current 3G iPods.
 
people will buy the new mini ipod.
i will not be one of them.

i agree with many who say that a cheaper 2 gig ipod would have been excellent.

personally i would have liked to see a smaller ipod with around 2 gigs or so.
the mini ipod form factor is not mini enough for me.

also, i think the new colours are ugly.
 
Originally posted by Rezet
Thats not what people are saying. They are saying that this is silly in price/value competition. And that there is no reason to buy mini.
Click to expand...

I think those people will be surprised, then, when Apple sells a TON of these. I bet a lot of people (with a few extra bucks, that is) would fork out for a second iPod. As others have mentioned, it's the size of the the device and the size of the HD that are desirable.


Originally posted by funkywhat2
http://reviews.cnet.com/iRiver_iFP_195T/4505-6490_7-20830083.html?tag=pdtl-list

I see these iRiver things all overschool, along with iPods. The iRiver is shown as costing between (appx) $250 and $300. Now, if you could buy an iPod with 8X the capacity, for the same price, would you? I think you would.

The name "iPod" means something to people. This thing is going to sell wonderfully.
Click to expand...

One of my students just informed me about his intentions of buying a 512 MB iRiver for that price. Why? I asked. You have to remember that Apple has a huge markup on iPods. (I forget the %.) A smaller version for a smaller price doesn't have the appeal to them. They'll take the top and middle thirds of the Mp3 market and let the el cheapo brands fight over the bottom.

Squire

P.S. When you start a thread, you should try to be a little more descriptive. I had no idea what "the $250 vs. $299 deal" was until about the 4th post.
 
I agree that apple didn't make a smart pricing plan, but the features are there and I wouldn't be surprised if after 6 months the ipod mini is $199 ... btw i like minipod better than ipod mini
 
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